


Dating the Damned

by cinnamon_skull



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Humor, Blood, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Kissing, M/M, Neck Kissing, Romance, vampire! eren, vampire! jean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-03-17 22:18:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3545795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamon_skull/pseuds/cinnamon_skull
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren has been a vampire for more than 1,000 years.  It isn’t easy being a monster in the modern world, but he manages, until he meets Levi Ackerman.  We’ll, “meets” isn’t exactly right: when he rescues him from fellow vamp and pain in his ass Jean Kirschtein, nothing makes sense anymore.  </p><p>Despite everything in his nature telling him his fascination with the grey-eyed human is dangerous, their paths cross too many times for Eren to ignore the powers of fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everything Sucks

Levi rests his head against the cold stone wall. He can feel the dampness creeping into the back of his pristine, white collar, and a spike of annoyance clouds his mind for moment. He knows he’s going to have to scrub the grime off tomorrow with a toothbrush and bleach, and for a moment he doesn’t think _anything_ is worth that kind of torture on a Sunday afternoon, especially if he’s anywhere near as hungover as he thinks he’ll be tomorrow. 

He almost pushes the guy off to tell him so, but then he brushes his lips so deliciously over the skin of Levi's neck, paired with the insistent press of teeth just the right side of nasty that Levi thinks better of it. At least Julien knows what he’s doing. 

It feels good, _really good_. 

He’d met him earlier, at the bar, when he was quietly getting intimate with the bottom of his glass of whiskey. It was one of the classier bars in town, a little more expensive than your average neighborhood pub, but Levi had to do a double take when he saw the impeccably dressed man take a seat next to him.

He was tall with blond hair, a slightly darker undercut highlighting the sharp, angular features of his face. He wore a black leather jacket tossed over a grey wool vest and white oxford shirt, paired with a black and white tie. Levi had to admit that he liked what he saw. 

And when they finally had started talking, Levi found that his name was Julien, and he was quite the charmer. A few drinks later and some obvious flirting, and they had made their way out back. Levi had wanted to call a cab, but it seemed that Julien had other plans.

Fifteen minutes later, and here they are, making out in the back alley like a pair of star-crossed teenagers.

Either it's been a little too long for Levi or he’s somehow developed a neck kink in the last half hour, because _damn_.  When Julien’s tongue swirls over his skin, a deep shudder runs through his body, and he hears the other man’s breathy sigh in his ear.

“You taste good,” he purrs, and Levi likes the sound of his voice a little too much. 

When Levi closes his eyes and throws his head back, damp wall be-damned, Julien takes it as an invitation to scrape his teeth up the column of Levi’s throat. 

“Fuck,” Levi whispers, threading his hands into the leather of Julien’s jacket.  “What are you, a vampire?”

The dark chuckle Julien emits into the hollow of his throat gets his attention.  “Something like that,” he mumbles, before pressing down a little harder with his teeth.

Pinpricks of real fear erupt on Levi’s skin a moment before one of Julien’s sharp canines punctures his skin, a small, tiny prick that doesn’t even hurt, not really, but a wave of euphoria so powerful washes over Levi that he has to hold onto Julien to keep from falling to his knees.

He feels instantly hot, the scorching kind of heat usually reserved for the delicious pinnacle of orgasm. Levi feels like he’s drowning, blindly plunging through dark waters, but there is no fear, just the pulsing, throbbing certainty of pleasure.  

He barely registers the sound of the door banging loudly against the side of the building.

“Jean,” he hears someone yell into the alley. “Are you fucking mental?” Levi thinks an angry drunk must have wandered out of the bar, and he really, really hopes he plans to shut up or pass out soon so that he can go back to enjoying the dreamy, sensual feeling of Julien’s lips against his neck. 

But then Julien’s body quivers hard against his, and before Levi even realizes what’s happening, someone is yanking him off of Levi's neck. He thinks he sees a flash of white and a smear of blood on Jean’s cheek, but when he looks again, nothing is there.   

“Jean,” the stranger says again, his voice full of fury.  “ _What the fuck?”_  

And then Levi’s stomach drops, because Julien obviously has a lot of secrets, if his dual identity as Julien/Jean is anything to go by. One such secret being the inhumanly jealous, angry boyfriend he conveniently forgot to mention back at the bar. Said boyfriend is currently glaring daggers at them, barely contained rage lighting up his eyes like bright fissures in the hard set of his face. 

“What did we say, Jean?” the other man asks, his voice pitching lower than before. 

Levi doesn’t know if he should try to make an exit or stay quiet—both options are equally unpleasant. Absently, he brings a hand to his neck and is startled to feel the thick tackiness of almost dried blood coat his fingers. He stares at his red fingertips with a strange sense of wonder. 

When he looks up, Jean is breathing hard and clutching his throat, and for a second Levi feels pride that he’d been the one to do this to Julien—no, _Jean_ —that he’d unraveled him so completely that he was delirious from the heat of it. After a moment of silence, Jean mumbles something under his breath that Levi doesn’t catch. 

“I can’t hear you,” the stranger snaps, crowding Jean’s space so that he’s close enough for Levi to notice the powerful, electric green of his eyes. 

“The three C’s,” Jean enunciates in a petulant, reluctant tone, like a child caught sneaking a cookie before dinner.

 _What_ , Levi thinks. He can feel the sensual fog begin to fade away, his senses tingling and vibrating with an acute sense of danger that he isn’t quite ready to comprehend. It’s just a lover’s spat.  A cheating dickhead and a jealous, controlling boyfriend. Nothing Levi hasn’t seen before.   

“Say them,” the dark man insists, and there is something about the set of his shoulders and the power in his voice that makes the hair on the back of Levi’s neck stand up.

“Civilized, control,” Jean says, before pausing to cast a sharp look at Levi.  “And consent.”

A heavy uneasiness settles at the base of Levi’s spine. _What the fuck are they talking about?_   Did he stumble into some sort of underground sex ring?      

“I guess you do have a fucking brain,” the stranger says cruelly. “You’re full of surprises today.”

And then lighting fast, the other man has Jean by the wrist, and he’s tugging him back down the alley like he weighs nothing at all, before shoving him through the door. When he’s satisfied that Jean isn’t coming back, he turns his full attention on Levi.

Where Jean is tall and fair with sharp features, the stranger is dark and imposing, a raw power exuding from his body like a siren’s call. Nothing catches Levi’s attention quite like the glow of his blazing green eyes, so iridescent in the darkness of the alley that he’s drawn to the sharp gaze like a moth to flame.

As he continues his approach, Levi swallows. He’s stunned into silence, too mesmerized by the cruel shape of the man’s lips to think he might be in trouble. He watches as the stranger brings a thumb to his lips before his tongue slides out to lick the tip. He doesn’t break eye contact with Levi as he moves in closer. 

Levi’s eyes flutter to half-mast when the stranger slowly brings his thumb to brush against the side of his neck. Levi feels a sharp pain and then cooling relief, before the stranger pulls his finger away from his throat.

“What the hell?” Levi says, feeling almost like himself again, but murky, like he’s trying to break through the barrier of a dream. 

“I’m sorry about all this,” the man says quietly. “I didn’t want it to be like this. Not for anyone.”

Levi rubs the side of his neck, but all he feels is smooth skin underneath a layer of dried blood. He doesn’t know what to say, so he remains silent.

The power returns to the man’s voice. “Don’t tell anyone what happened here tonight.”  Levi nods, dazed, not sure he understands enough to even begin to explain his night to someone else. 

The man lets his brilliant gaze drop down to study the hard angles of Levi’s face, the sharp line of his jaw and the pulse jumping at his neck. He purses his lips and turns away, and then he’s disappearing into the dark mouth of the alley in a blink of Levi’s eye.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no such thing as too many fics right? Especially when the feature ereri - right? Right guys???
> 
> Anyway - SO wanted to do a vampire au SNK fic with Eren being a vampire. So here we are! Next chapter will be in Eren's POV - we'll learn more about the three C's, Eren's vampire philosophy, and how the hell Jean fits into all of this. Don't worry, Eren will see Levi again very soon. 
> 
> Just to confirm - this is 100 percent ERERI. However, I love Jean way too fucking much and really, really wanted an excuse for Jean and Levi to makeout, okay? Don't be mad. Don't lie, you enjoyed it too. 
> 
> Rating for future chapters will go up, but you'll get fair warning. Also this is going to be fluffy, humorous


	2. Blood Sucker Punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since his encounter with Jean, Levi has been suffering from strange dreams. His life takes an even more disturbing turn when he runs into a familiar face at work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, babies! I am back on track with this fic - and I hope you LOVE this chapter as much as I do.

“Are you okay?”

Levi’s head snaps up at the sound of his lab partner’s voice. They are looking at him with narrowed eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses and a furrowed brow, and Levi realizes it’s definitely not the first time they’d asked.

He clears his throat to disguise his surprise. “What time is it?” His voice sounds raspy underneath the lowly humming florescent lights, like he’s been screaming for several hours.

Had he been dreaming? Again?

When he swallows, the faint taste of metal lingers on his tongue and his limbs feel heavy, almost like he’d been treading water. There’s a fogginess to his thoughts that scares him.

“It’s nearly nine,” Levi hears them answer and something close to dread steels through his stomach, making his skin prickle. “I thought you said you were heading out a few hours ago.”

“Oh, I got caught up, I guess,” Levi responds casually, shrugging his shoulders and trying to bury the slowly rising panic that’s starting to make his skin feel tight.

Hange’s eyes flicker down to his station. Too late, Levi notices he doesn’t even have a slide positioned under the microscope lens. “You got caught up?”

Levi ignores them and starts to collect his things, shutting his empty notebook and pulling files off his desk to take home. “What are you doing here so late?”

Hange sighs, dropping a file onto the table and crossing their arms. “Stop trying to avoid my questions. Are you sure you’re okay, Levi?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” At Hange’s look, Levi shakes his head. “Look, I just haven’t been sleeping very well. That’s all.”

It’s partly true—Levi had turned into something of an insomniac in the last week. But that’s not the whole story, and Levi hasn’t thought about the truth long enough to process the possibilities, let alone tell someone else.

Not even with Hange, who has shared his lab space for the past four years—his longest partner ever—and in that time he’s grown rather attached to their loyal, if eccentric, friendship.

Hang gives him a thoughtful look. “Fine, you don’t have to tell me, Dr. Durden.”

“Who?” Levi scrunches up his face, momentarily forgetting all the confusing thoughts zinging around his skull.

“Never mind,” Hange sighs again. “I forgot you sucked at pop culture.”

Levi slings his bag over his shoulder and scowls. “I’m not apologizing for refusing to binge watch Orange is the New Apple or whatever on Netflix with you.”

“Oh my god, Levi,” Hange mumbles under their breath and throws up their hands. “You are unbelievable.”

“Thank you,” Levi turns to leave.

“Hey wait,” Hange calls. “Can you drop this file off to Farlan on your way out?”

When Levi grabs the manila folder from Hange’s hands, they don’t let go. Hange holds his gaze as they say, “Just remember that I’m here if you want to talk. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good, now get out of here and get some sleep, before NASA sends a space shuttle to explore the bags under your eyes.”

Levi gives them the finger as he makes his retreat, but he feels lighter than he has in days. Maybe he does just need a good night’s sleep and then things can get back to normal.

He tries not to think about the smell of rain or the scrape of brick against the back of his neck.

 

< /// > 

 

The hospital is creepy at night – Levi’s always thought so. There is something about the shining sterility and the buzz of florescent lights that set his skin crawling.

He’d much rather be in the upstairs lab, but Farlan works in the basement, near the morgue, and he curses Hange under his breath. It’s not even on his way out—he has to take two flights of stairs down and walk down a long hallway before he even sees Farlan sitting at a desk through clear glass doors.

When he opens the door, he has to squint his eyes closed for a moment under the blinding, white-blue light. It’s always too bright in the windowless areas of the hospital, and it makes the whole room feel smaller and tighter.

“Shorty,” Farlan calls from behind his desk in greeting. “What brings you to my corner of Hell?”

Levi rolls his eyes and gestures to the weird, violent zombie mosaic that Farlan has hanging on the wall. “New family portrait?

“Ha, ha fuck you, Levi,” Farlan mutters, swiveling his chair around to stare at his posters. “Of course you’d be the one person on the planet who hasn’t heard of The Walking Dead.”

“You work down the hall from a morgue in the basement of a hospital, and you hang up zombie posters?”

“What can I say,” Farlan turns to smirk at Levi. “I’ve got a sick sense of humor. Hey, is that for me?”

Levi fights back the urge to roll his eyes again and drops Hange’s thick manila folder on Farlan’s desk. “Yep. Hange sends their love from above.”

“Man, I can’t wait until I’m back up in the labs with you guys,” Farlan scoops the file off his desk and flips through the first few pages. “Blood bank duty blows.”

A noise catches Levi’s attention. He turns and peers through the second set of steel doors that lead to the blood storage center behind Farlan, and he sees someone moving between the rows of neatly stocked drawers through a slim pane of glass.

“Who’s that?”

“Just one of my patients.” Farlan shrugs his shoulders, but doesn’t take his eyes off the manila folder in his hands. But Levi doesn’t like the tense line of his mouth or the way his earlier playfulness seemed to drain from his body.

The stranger is tall and slim, dressed in jeans and a grey sweater with the hood pulled over his head. When he leans down to inspect the contents of a drawer, Levi notices that he’s wearing black sunglasses over his eyes.

“What’s he doing in the blood bank freezer?” Levi asks more sharply than he intends. Something is off, but Levi can’t put his finger on it just yet, like trying to nail down details from a fever dream.

“He just wanted to see where we get all the blood,” Farlan slowly closes the folder and tilts his face up to look at Levi. Farlan’s light blue eyes look colder under the lights. “He’s kind of a weird guy, but harmless.”

Levi watches the way the stranger traces his fingers over a silver drawer labeled O Negative, much like one would the spine of a book at a library. It’s eerie, strange, and it makes the skin on the back of Levi’s neck prick like he’s being stabbed with needles.

“Where’s his wristlet, then?” Levi whispers, not taking his eyes off the man in sunglasses. “His ID?”  
A drawer slams and then Levi can hear Farlan’s light footsteps approaching. “He’s one of the subjects for my research project, so he isn’t staying at the hospital.”

“Oh,” Levi says and his throat feels dry. There’s something familiar about the man in the other room.

“He’ll be leaving soon,” Farlan says, tapping Levi on the shoulder. “Are we good here?”

Levi’s eyes turn back to Farlan again, tracing the hard lines of his face and the tense tilt of his shoulders. “Yeah.”

Farlan turns back to his desk, and Levi’s just about to leave and march right up to Hange to demand to know what’s going on when he sees the stranger take two blood bags from the drawer and stuff them into the front pouch of his sweater.

“What the fuck,” Levi hisses. “You better start telling me the truth right now, Farlan. No more bullshit.”

Farlan looks tense but not surprised. “We have an arrangement.”

“What kind of arrangement?” Levi’s eyebrows disappear behind the long silky fringes of his hair.

“Not like that, god, Levi!”

“Then what?” Levi stumbles over his next words. “Are you—you’re not selling blood on the black market, Farlan? Are you?”

“No!” Farlan rubs his fingers over his face in frustration. “Look, Levi. This guy has some… rare anomalies in his blood, so we have a system. Hange knows all about it.”

“Hange knows about what, exactly?” Levi’s voice is rising now, and he can’t keep the panic from lacing his words. “Jesus Christ Far, this is a blood bank not a fucking flea market, we can’t just use the barter system here.”

Farlan pinches the bridge of his nose. “Levi—this is a complicated project. But the possibilities, I mean, we’re just scraping the surface right now in terms of what his blood can do.”

Levi’s next retort is cut short by the sound of the doors swinging open as the stranger walks into the room.

His hoodie has fallen back, revealing blond hair and a darker, shorter undercut. He curses in French when his eyes land on Levi.

_Jean._

Levi is looking up at Jean, the neck biter with the bitter boyfriend from last weekend. Memories of that night start to invade his sense--the feeling of Jean’s teeth on his skin, the euphoric high, the blaze of bright green eyes.  
Jean saunters his way across the room and flings open the door without another word, but Levi is fast on his heels.

“Levi!” Farlan calls, but he ignores him.

He follows Jean out. “Hey!”

Jean ignores him and walks briskly toward the stairwell.

“Jean, Julien or whatever the fuck your name is, stop!”

He doesn’t -- he starts running. He’s pretty fast, but there is a strange, sluggish motion to his movements, like he’s wading through molasses.

Levi catches his arm before he can swing open the door leading to the stairs. He rears back and hisses at Levi, ripping his arm away with more force than he’d thought possible.

Levi is too determined to feel frightened, and he can feel hot adrenaline pumping through his veins. “Wait.”

“I’ve been getting—” Levi draws in a sharp breath, running his tongue against his teeth. It’s the first time he’s admitted this out loud to anyone. “I’ve been having weird dreams.”

Jean has stopped his movements, holding so still that it unsettles Levi, sets off a bone deep kind of alarm in his gut.

“I wake up tasting blood,” Levi whispers.

Jean squeezes his eyes shut at the words and then slowly turns his gaze on Levi. His irises are just as gold and mesmerizing as Levi remembers. For a second he can remember Jean’s lips ghosting over his neck, and the thought makes him shiver.

“Fine,” Jean bites out. “Follow me. But don’t be surprised if Eren isn’t too happy to see you.”

With that Jean turns, taking the stairs three at a time, and Levi’s out of breath trying to keep up with his shorter legs. He thinks he hears Jean mutter stupid human in French under his breath.

What? And who’s Eren?

Then he remembers something, the thing that had made him feel nauseous and frightened earlier when he was watching Jean through he glass.

The blood bank is basically a large, walk-in freezer that keeps the plasma and blood safe at the optimal temperature of 32 degrees.

Jean’s breath hadn’t fanned out around his mouth like smoke.

Had he even been breathing at all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - I'm not a doctor. Let's just suspend our disbelief and think that blood stays its freshest at 32 degrees. I liked the visual of Levi not being able to so Jean's breath fog, okay? SORRY
> 
> For more crazy headcanons and DtD outtakes, drabbles, etc. follow me on tumblr - cinnamonksull.tumblr.com. 
> 
> If you liked it, leave some love. (OR I'll bite!) ; )
> 
> Up NEXT - we get a little up close and personal with Eren Jaeger.


	3. Bloody Stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean takes Levi to meet the mysterious Eren, and he ends up with more questions than answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I BET YOU THOUGHT YOU SAW THE LAST OF ME. IM BACKKKKKKKK. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your patience, kind notes of encouragement, and overall love while I got my inspiration back for this fic. It's probably not at all what you wanted, but you know that anticipation makes it all the sweeter. ; )

When they exit the hospital, Jean walks briskly over to the parking lot C, not turning his head to see if Levi is still following him. He’d probably prefer if Levi forgot all about what he’d just seen and heard.

A mounting, nervous energy is building at the base of his spine, urging him forward into a probably very dangerous situation. But he clenches his fists at his side and pushes himself forward, because he’s tired of dreaming of darkness. Levi knows this is the only way he’ll find answers to questions that he’s too afraid to even ask out loud.

Jean makes a noise, something between a scoff and a huff of annoyance, and starts digging through his pockets for his car keys. An engine chokes to life followed by a gentle, rumbling purr and the headlights of a sleek, silver car light up the pavement in front of them.

“Get in,” Jean barks, opening up the passenger door and gesturing impatiently with his hand.

Levi is too surprised to move. When he’d picked Jean up at the bar, he liked how well dressed he looked and admired his great taste in whiskey, but he certainly hadn’t expected…well, _this._

Jean smirks suddenly, lowing his glasses to stare at Levi with knowing, honey eyes. It reminds Levi a bit of how he looked at the bar, and it sends an unwanted wave of heat through his gut.

“What, were you expecting, a Toyota Prius?” Jean drawls in a low voice that gets under Levi’s skin. “Sorry, I’m just not that kind of guy.”

Levi clenches his jaw and gives Jean the middle finger, crossing the distance between them to the car. He hesitates only a moment before slamming the door shut in Jean’s laughing face.

His laughter fades as he walks behind the car, and Levi twists in his seat to watch him open the trunk and slide the blood bags out of his pocket. Jean places them in some sort of silver container that Levi can’t fully see, but he guesses its a high-tech cooler--he doesn’t really want to dwell on what that means. The sight of the crimson cargo reminds Levi why he’s even with Jean in the first place.

The idea that this isn’t a new kind of arrangement flashes through his mind and makes him shiver.

Jean doesn’t say anything when he opens his door and settles in the driver’s seat, but Levi can see out of the corner of his eye that he isn’t smiling anymore. He doesn’t take his sunglasses off as he navigates the car onto the dark street, and Levi’s sense of self-preservation is on overdrive as he squeezes on his seatbelt and digs his fingers into the expensive leather.

“Where are we going?” he asks, just to take his mind off the blood in the trunk and Jean’s apparent lack of regard for the speed limit.

Jean doesn’t answer, just pushes the car along the winding streets of the city, weaving through lanes with the ease of a Formula 1 driver. Although he doesn’t know their destination, Levi can see that Jean’s headed out of the inner city, the hospital so far in the review mirror he can barely see it anymore.

But Jean’s proximity and the ghost of his lips on Levi’s neck makes him forget the imminent danger and the frightening reality of his situation. At the next stoplight, Levi tries again. “Hey, remember the other night when you were—”

“Be quiet,” Jean hisses, and Levi notices the way his knuckles tighten around the steering wheel, illuminated by the dim light of the dashboard.

“Look,” Levi turns to face the window, and he can see the apartments and buildings that line the streets are starting to thin out. “You had your tongue down my throat the other day, can’t you just tell me where we’re going?”

Levi turns back to Jean in time to see a muscle jump in his jaw. “To see Eren.”

“To see Eren,” Levi mimics Jean’s slow drawl in a higher pitch, his annoyance clouding his better judgment. “You said that already.”

Jean curses in French, and Levi hears his own name and some very, very rude suggestions that make him wrinkle his nose. But, he folds his arms over his chest and doesn’t let on that he’s fluent in the language—something tells him it’s not wise to reveal that secret just yet.

“Is Eren the one who showed up in the alley?” Levi presses, despite knowing that he probably shouldn’t.

Jean continues his stony silence, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his narrow nose and shifting the car into next gear more violently than necessary.

“I guess that’s a _yes_ ,” Levi scoffs and turns to stare out the window again. He remembers Eren’s green eyes and a feeling like falling, and for a wild moment he is absolutely desperate for a chance to be near him again.

“Will you just shut up,” Jean repeats harshly. “You don’t know anything.”

They drive through the outskirts of town, down a narrow, two-lane highway that stretches up North. As far as Levi can tell, it’s nothing but wilderness and darkness for the next twenty miles.

Despite not knowing how far he can really push the other man before he snaps, Levi doesn’t think before he asks, “So, is Eren your boyfriend?”

Jean curses, pushing his hoodie back and running his hands through his unruly hair. “Not even close.”

“Oh.” Levi bites his cheek, but there’s something about Jean that makes him want to instantly push his buttons. “Are you sure? He was pretty mad the other night.”

But like all the things that have happened to Levi since Jean’s kiss, he doesn’t quite get the reaction he was hoping for. Jean just laughs, sharp and cruel in the darkness.

“If you thought he was mad then,” and Jean lowers his sunglasses to give Levi a look of pure, smug glee. “That’s nothing compared to how he’ll react when he sees you tonight.”

That shuts Levi up long enough for him to notice that Jean has started to ease the car off the highway and onto an almost unnoticeable dirt road. It’s winding with overgrown grass threading up through the gravel, but Jean handles the curves like he’s done it a million times, and the road is worn enough that Levi has no doubt it leads to Eren.

They drive for another mile before Levi can make out lights through the thick foliage. Another minute, and what can only be described as a manor pops up into view, cold and oppressive in its grandeur.

There aren’t any gates or security cameras that Levi can see, but he has a feeling that nothing goes on outside the walls of that house without its occupant knowing.

It suddenly dawns on him how secluded they are and that the city is very, very far behind them. Too late, Levi realizes that no one knows where is and a quick look at his phone tells him he has no cell service this deep into the woods.

Suddenly, there isn’t enough air in the car, and Levi pulls his door open before Jean has even properly parked.

 _“Hey,”_ he hears Jean growl before he’s out the door and bent at the waist, his hands clawing at his knees as he takes huge, gasping breaths of air.

_What the hell is he doing out here?_

He hears Jean behind him, the gravel crunching under his feet as he walks to the back of the car, and Levi can imagine him pulling the silver cooler from the trunk. He remembers what he saw Jean do and what he _didn’t_ see and the bags of blood, and for the first time since leaving the hospital real fear pools in the pit of Levi’s stomach and pricks at the back of his neck.

“Let’s go,” Jean orders when he’s almost at the door, and Levi is still hunched over by the car.

When he doesn’t make any move to join him, Jean curses. “Un-fucking-believable,” he says, walking back to Levi and pulling him upright by the arm. “You wanted to see Eren, right? Well then, _let’s go.”_

He doesn’t pull him forward, but Levi somehow feels compelled to follow Jean to the door. After punching in a series of numbers into a surprisingly high-tech looking keypad, Jean lets himself in.

From what he can tell, the foyer is sparse and there’s barely any lighting, but Levi knows he shouldn’t be surprised by how nimble Jean is even in the darkness. Even with those damn sunglasses.

Jean shuffles around Levi mumbling something in French and places the cooler down with a loud clank.

Then he’s suddenly standing right next to Levi, looking down at him with a strange smile. “Now, don’t run off anywhere.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweet,” he says braver than he feels, leaning into Jean’s space just to watch his annoying smile deepen into a scowl.

“Let’s see how cute you are when Eren gets here,” Jean mutters, before walking more deeply into the house and disappearing into the darkness.

As soon as he’s gone, Levi pulls out his phone to check for a signal. Mercifully, one bar lighting up his phone gives him a little hope, and he quickly types out a message to Farlan that he hopes isn’t too cryptic.

Without waiting for a response, he pockets his phone and starts feeling his way against the nearest wall, searching for a light switch. There’s no chance in hell he’s going to just wait in the dark, completely defenseless, for Eren and Jean to get back. After a few minutes of blind fumbling, his fingers light on a wall switch, and he flicks it without a second thought.

The light is so bright after so much darkness that he has to shield his eyes for a moment. When he lowers his arm, his breath catches in his throat.

The room is impeccably decorated with dark wooden floors and cream walls, lined with fancy artwork and old looking artifacts. Plush leather couches sit atop expensive looking Oriental rugs and various coffee tables are lined with vases and books and strange looking statues. There are so many things to look at that Levi feels like he’s visiting a museum more than a home.

Momentarily forgetting the reason for his visit, Levi moves to get a closer look at the items stretched out on the nearest mahogany table. There’s an ancient looking book spread open to an old medical diagram that catches his attention. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like a rough sketch of two people lying next to each other on a table, connected by thin tubes at their wrists. Bending down to take a closer look, one of the people looks like he has fangs protruding from his mouth—and the absolute _weirdness_ of that image makes Levi take a step back.

His eyes alight on an object perched on a raised dais next to the book as it catches the light. It’s a silver knife with an onyx handle, engraved with old markings Levi can’t read and a strange, twisting design that curves all along the blade.

Levi’s never had much of an appreciation for violence--his in the medical field, after all, but there’s no denying the haunting beauty of the weapon in all its dangerous glory. He’s not sure what makes him raise his fingers up to ghost along the razor sharp edge.

“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,” a voice that Levi could never forget calls out from behind him.

The air around him thickens and crackles, and a familiar kind of power caresses Levi, making him want to bend to the will of that voice without question, as if his spine were made from a blade of grass. The words are a suggestion, but he hears the compelling command in the deep tenor of that voice like burning wood. 

He turns slowly and sees Eren regarding him quietly from the doorway. It feels the same as before when he looks in his face—like he’s drowning in dark waves, like the air is being forcefully pulled from his lungs, but there’s also something much more sinister creeping its way into his consciousness.

When he looks at Eren, he feels like he’s _home_. 

He catches Eren's sharp smile and then a sweeping wave of black nothingness. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were curious, Jean's car is an Aston Martin - don't hate me, I just saw the new Bond film and felt inspired. 
> 
> Ok, I promise next chapter Levi and Eren get a chance to...chat. And you'll get some answers. For all your ereri pleasure, please follow me on tumblr: cinnamonskull.
> 
> If you enjoyed, please leave some love with comments or kudos or else Eren will not be happy.


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